When tragedy devastates the landscape of our lives, where can we find hope? Recently, while traveling in Alaska, I rode past an area that had been ravaged by wildfire. The spruce trees that once dominated the landscape had been reduced to charred skeletons. But the sight that kept my camera clicking was the beautiful blanket…
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9 NIV) Moving has provided many memorable stories and gleanings from the Lord. From fires to wallpaper removal, Jesus continues to teach me. This past summer was no different when we…
When I started working for the church, I joined the denominational health plan. And with that health plan comes a health tracking program, an online wellness program to help me be more healthy. We have workout and accountability groups. I have daily tidbits of knowledge about my body, daily reminders to move and care for…
Are you happy? I would have cringed if you had asked me that five years ago. Not. Even. Close. I was utterly overwhelmed after my husband and I adopted seven children—some who’d faced past trauma. The kids’ attitudes were messy, the house was messy, and my heart was messy. As time passed, trauma therapy helped…
“When Jesus heard about it, he withdrew from there by boat to a remote place to be alone. When the crowds heard this, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a large crowd, had compassion on them, and healed their sick.” (Matt. 14:13-14 CSB) We all know that person, the…
In her book, Reclaiming Your Heart, Denise Hildreth Jones chronicles the ways her own heart shut down and how she reclaimed it. It has become one of my favorite books. What is extraordinary to me is the way God got this book into my hands before I knew I needed it. The year was 2014,…